.svg)
Editing Rann of Kutch
Content that violates any copyrights will be deleted. Encyclopedic content must be verifiable. Work submitted to this Wiki can be edited, used, and redistributed—by anyone—subject to certain terms and conditions.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
[[File:Kachch.png|thumb|right|280px|Rann of Kutch in the state of [[Gujarat]]]] | [[File:Kachch.png|thumb|right|280px|Rann of Kutch in the state of [[Gujarat]]]] | ||
The '''Rann of Kutch''' ( | The '''Rann of Kutch''' ([[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]: કચ્છનું રણ) is a large area of [[salt marsh]]es that span the border between India and Pakistan. It is located mostly in [[Gujarat]] (primarily the [[Kutch district]]), [[India]], and in some parts of [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]. It is divided into the [[Great Rann of Kutch|Great Rann]] and [[Little Rann of Kutch|Little Rann]]. | ||
==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
The Rann of Kutch is located mostly in the Indian state of [[Gujarat]], specifically [[Kutch district]], for which it is named. Some parts extend into the Pakistani province of [[Sindh]]. The word ''Rann'' means " | The Rann of Kutch is located mostly in the Indian state of [[Gujarat]], specifically [[Kutch district]], for which it is named. Some parts extend into the Pakistani province of [[Sindh]]. The word ''Rann'' means "salt marsh". | ||
The Rann of Kutch covers around 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles). The [[Great Rann of Kutch]] is the larger portion of the Rann. It extends east and west, with the [[Thar Desert]] to the north and the low hills of [[Kutch]] to the south. The [[Indus River Delta]] lies to the west in southern Pakistan. The [[Little Rann of Kutch]] lies southeast of the Great Rann, and extends southwards to the Gulf of Kutch. | The Rann of Kutch covers around 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles). The [[Great Rann of Kutch]] is the larger portion of the Rann. It extends east and west, with the [[Thar Desert]] to the north and the low hills of [[Kutch]] to the south. The [[Indus River Delta]] lies to the west in southern Pakistan. The [[Little Rann of Kutch]] lies southeast of the Great Rann, and extends southwards to the Gulf of Kutch. | ||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
==Ecology== | ==Ecology== | ||
[[File:Nilgai group at Little Rann of kutch.JPG|thumb|left|260px|[[Nilgai]] group at the Little Rann of Kutch]] | [[File:Nilgai group at Little Rann of kutch.JPG|thumb|left|260px|[[Nilgai]] group at the Little Rann of Kutch]] | ||
The Rann of Kutch is the only large [[flooded grasslands]] zone in the [[Indomalayan realm]].<ref name = wwf/> The area has desert on one side and the sea on the other enables various ecosystems, including [[mangroves]] and [[desert vegetation]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Negi|first=Sharad Singh|title=Biosphere reserves in India: landuse, biodiversity and conservation|year=1996|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=9788173870439|pages=221}}</ref> Its grassland and deserts are home to forms of wildlife that have adapted to its often harsh conditions. These include [[endemic]] and [[endangered]] animal and plant species.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sharma|first=R.P.|title=The Indian forester, Volume 127, Issues 7-12|date=10 Nov 2011|publisher=University of Minnesota|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-csAQAAMAAJ&q=Great+Rann+of+Kutch}}</ref> | The Rann of Kutch is the only large [[flooded grasslands]] zone in the [[Indomalayan realm]].<ref name = wwf/> The area has desert on one side and the sea on the other enables various ecosystems, including [[mangroves]] and [[desert vegetation]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Negi|first=Sharad Singh|title=Biosphere reserves in India: landuse, biodiversity and conservation|year=1996|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=9788173870439|pages=221}}</ref> Its grassland and deserts are home to forms of wildlife that have adapted to its often harsh conditions. These include [[endemic]] and [[endangered]] animal and plant species.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sharma|first=R.P.|title=The Indian forester, Volume 127, Issues 7-12|date=10 Nov 2011|publisher=University of Minnesota|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-csAQAAMAAJ&q=Great+Rann+of+Kutch&dq=Great+Rann+of+Kutch}}</ref> | ||
==Flora== | ==Flora== | ||
| Line 74: | Line 74: | ||
There are over 200 bird species in the Rann of Kutch, including the threatened species [[lesser florican]] (''Sypheotides indicus'') and [[houbara bustard]] (''Chlamydotis undulata''). The seasonal wetlands provide habitat for many water birds, including the [[demoiselle crane]] (''Grus virgo'') and [[lesser flamingo]] (''Phoeniconaias minor'').<ref name = wwf/> | There are over 200 bird species in the Rann of Kutch, including the threatened species [[lesser florican]] (''Sypheotides indicus'') and [[houbara bustard]] (''Chlamydotis undulata''). The seasonal wetlands provide habitat for many water birds, including the [[demoiselle crane]] (''Grus virgo'') and [[lesser flamingo]] (''Phoeniconaias minor'').<ref name = wwf/> | ||
==History | ==History== | ||
The | The History of the Rann of Kutch began with early [[neolithic]] settlements. It was later inhabited by the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] as well as the [[Maurya]] and [[Gupta empire]]s of [[India]]. | ||
===Indus Valley Period=== | ===Indus Valley Period=== | ||
The people of the Indus civilization appear to have settled in the Rann of Kutch around 3500 BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sengupta |first1=Torsa |title=Did the Harappan settlement of Dholavira (India) collapse during the onset of Meghalayan stage drought? |journal=Journal of Quaternary Science |year=2020 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=382–395 |doi=10.1002/jqs.3178 | The people of the Indus civilization appear to have settled in the Rann of Kutch around 3500 BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sengupta |first1=Torsa |title=Did the Harappan settlement of Dholavira (India) collapse during the onset of Meghalayan stage drought? |journal=Journal of Quaternary Science |year=2020 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=382–395 |doi=10.1002/jqs.3178 }}</ref> The Indus city of [[Dholavira]], the largest Indus site in India, is located in the Rann of Kutch. This city was built on the [[Tropic of Cancer]], possibly indicating that Dholavira's inhabitants were skilled in astronomy.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gopinath |first1=P |title=Ruins on the Tropic of Cancer |url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/ruins-on-the-tropic-of-cancer/article19284214.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> | ||
[[File:Dholavira East Gate.jpg|thumb|Ruins at Dholavira]] The Rann of Kutch also contained the industrial site of [[Khirasara]], where a warehouse was found.<ref>{{cite | [[File:Dholavira East Gate.jpg|thumb|Ruins at Dholavira]] The Rann of Kutch also contained the industrial site of [[Khirasara]], where a warehouse was found.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Subramanian |first1=T |title=Excavations reveal Khirsara a major industrial hub of Harappan era |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/excavations-reveal-khirsara-a-major-industrial-hub-of-harappan-era/article4994878.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> | ||
Many Indologists such as A. S. Gaur and Mani Murali hold the view that the Rann of Kutch was, rather than the salt marsh that it is today, a navigable archipelago at the time of the Indus Civilization. The Indus Civilization was known to have an extensive maritime trade system, so it has been proposed by Gaur et al. that there were perhaps ports in the Rann of Kutch.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaur |first1=A |title=Was the Rann of Kachchh (Kutch) navigable during the Harappan times (Mid-Holocene)? An archaeological perspective |date=September 2013 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263580655 |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> | Many Indologists such as A. S. Gaur and Mani Murali hold the view that the Rann of Kutch was, rather than the salt marsh that it is today, a navigable archipelago at the time of the Indus Civilization. The Indus Civilization was known to have an extensive maritime trade system, so it has been proposed by Gaur et al. that there were perhaps ports in the Rann of Kutch.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaur |first1=A |title=Was the Rann of Kachchh (Kutch) navigable during the Harappan times (Mid-Holocene)? An archaeological perspective |date=September 2013 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263580655 |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> | ||
===Imperial Indian Period=== | ===Imperial Indian Period=== | ||
The Rann of Kutch was a part of both the | The Rann of Kutch was a part of both the Maurya<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mauryan Empire of Ancient India |url=https://www.timemaps.com/civilizations/the-mauryan-empire/ |website=Time Maps}}</ref> and Gupta<ref>{{cite web |title=Gupta Empire |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/image/3874/gupta-empire/ |website=[[World History Encyclopedia]] |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> empires of India. | ||
===Colonial and Modern | ===Colonial and Modern Periods=== | ||
[[File:Rann Utsav Begins (11475093753).jpg|thumb|Folk Music at Rann Utsav]] | [[File:Rann Utsav Begins (11475093753).jpg|thumb|Folk Music at Rann Utsav]] | ||
The Rann of Kutch came under the control of the British Raj, who imposed a ban on salt harvesting. This ban was protested and overturned by Indian activist [[Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dalton |last2=Gandhi |first2=Mahatma |title=Selected Political Writings | The Rann of Kutch came under the control of the British Raj, who imposed a ban on salt harvesting. This ban was protested and overturned by Indian activist [[Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dalton |last2=Gandhi |first2=Mahatma |title=Selected Political Writings |url=https://archive.org/details/mahatmagandhisel00maha}}</ref> More recently, the residents of the Rann of Kutch began holding the Rann Utsav festival, a three-month long carnival, which marks the peak tourist season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eden |first1=Noronha |title=Immerse yourself in Gujarat's Rann Utsav |url=https://www.femina.in/life/travel/all-the-excitement-of-gujarats-rann-utsav-141333.html |website=Femina In |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> | ||
==Conservation and protected areas== | ==Conservation and protected areas== | ||